In Lake Van, located in Easter Turkey, there reportedly lurks an animal of "pre-historic" description. Not until 1995 was it first sighted, and since then it has been seen by lake viewers again and again. After each sighting, professional camera crews rent boats in trying to capture the alleged beast clearly on film . . . unsuccessful, thus far, every time . . . until, to the amazement of many, someone finally caught it on video.

His name is Unal Kozak, and the year was 1997. The subject became an obsession for then 26-year-old Kozak, a Van University teaching assistant who has been talking to eyewitnesses since the first sightings. For him, it was an art of stationing himself at the right places at the right times. Kozak claims to have seen and filmed the so-called monster on three occasions. The length, he says, is about 15 meters (49.5) long, based on his own sightings and the descriptions of 1,000 interviewed witnesses. The film, under strict copyright law, can be viewed here.